Volkswagen to deliver 13,000 meals during New York Auto Show

New York, New York – Volkswagen of America will focus its national Force of Good tour during the New York International Auto Show, using a troop of 22 New Beetles and Touaregs to deliver more than 13,000 meals to homebound seniors in New York City.

From April 7 to 17, Volkswagen will work with Citymeals-on-Wheels staff and volunteers to deliver nearly 1,700 meals each day. The company has also donated two Touaregs for Citymeals-on-Wheels’ use through August.

Since last November, the Force of Good tour has used New Beetles across the U.S. on such projects as handing out free coffee to commuters stuck in traffic, giving maps to visitors, feeding parking meters and paying tolls. Recently, the tour teamed with Habitat for Humanity in San Francisco and the Suite Dreams project in Detroit, where a young cancer patient was presented with a newly decorated bedroom.

Video footage of the Force of Good tour in action will be shown online at www.vwpodcast.com, starting Wednesday, April 12. During the Auto Show, Volkswagen will donate US$1 to Citymeals-on-Wheels every time someone subscribes to a podcast, up to $1,000 per day. The podcast content includes music from local emerging New York artists, VW commercials and videos, and auto show walking tour videos. Volkswagen expects donations from the downloads to reach US$12,000, and at US$5 per meal, could underwrite as many as 2,400 meals.